From the Burning Sea to the Arena: The Incredible Journey of Israel's National Fencing Team to the European Championship

When we talk about Olympic athletes, we imagine strict training routines, sacrifice, and focus on the goal. But what happens when all that clashes with an unexpected reality — when the country goes to war and all plans suddenly change? Here is the incredible story of two of our top fencers — Yonatan Cohen and Dov Vilensky, members of the Israeli senior national team and leading candidates for the upcoming Olympics — who proved that Israeli determination overcomes everything, even when the skies are closed and the sea is rough.

This is a story of an unbreakable fighting spirit, dedication to a goal, and love for the homeland that drives them forward even when everything around is burning. They may not be satisfied with ninth place, but for us, they are already champions — champions of determination, sacrifice, and the ability to rise above any obstacle.

Yonatan Cohen

Dov Vilensky

The War That Began at the Airport

"I was already at the airport, had checked in my fencing gear, and was waiting for the flight to Italy," Dov recalls the dramatic moments. "Suddenly — an alert. War. Sirens, everyone running to shelters, exiting, re-entering... In the end, they just sent us all home and canceled all flights." The frustration is unimaginable. Months of preparation, anticipation, the dream of representing the country on the European stage — all gone in a second. The next morning, Dov was already called up for reserve duty. "I was there for two days," he adds with a tired smile. And Yonatan? "I was at the Wingate Institute when I got the alert," he shares. "I immediately understood we had no chance of getting to the championship. A second later, I received a message from the airline — the flight was canceled. I packed up and went home to Maalot." The disappointment was deep. "We were very upset," they both admit. "It's a super important competition that we've been preparing for a long time. It's critical for our Olympic journey, and now our chances seemed further away, simply because we wouldn't be there." But as Yonatan says: "We were also focused on the situation here in Israel and looking ahead to the next competition." They didn't yet know that, at the same time, another intense "battle" was underway, led by Irena Tal, CEO of the Fencing Association — a battle in which they would soon play a central role.

Rescue Operation: How to Get to Championships During Wartime

Two days after the war broke out, when hope was almost lost, the phone rang. On the line was a representative from the fencing association: "Maybe there's still a possibility to reach the competition - by sailing on a yacht to Cyprus, and from there by plane to Italy!" Sounds like an impossible mission from a Hollywood movie, right? But not for our athletes. This entire complex logistical operation was managed secretly and with dizzying speed by Irena Tal, who managed to reach Italy with the national team coaches just before the war broke out.

"And what did you answer?", we ask, surprised by the very idea. "We got organized, and at the scheduled time we were at Haifa port," they answer as if it's a matter of course. "There we met Yuval Freilich, our teammate, and the yacht crew. We set off!"

Storm at Sea, Storm in the Soul

A yacht cruise - many people's dream, right? "Maybe," Dov answers with a wry smile, "for me it was terrible! Nausea the whole way, I couldn't eat or sleep, although Jonathan claims I did sleep... I don't remember, don't want to remember. It was hard." Jonathan, on the other hand, found some moments of grace within the maritime nightmare: "From the sea we saw the ballistic missiles and interceptions over Israeli skies. A beautiful and frightening fireworks display. Many thoughts about home."

From Cyprus, the fencers continued by flight to Italy, where Israeli representatives met them and took them directly to the hotel. "Late at night," they say. "And the next morning there was already equipment check, and the day after - the competition! We didn't have time to recover from the experience and ordeal we went through, we went straight into the day of battles."

From Painful Loss to Heroic Victory

The day of battles began. The first fight - against a strong German team. "Normally, we would have had a good chance to win," they admit, "but we lost." "Why did you lose?" I ask, trying to extract from them the reason for the painful defeat after such a journey. The two remain silent for long moments, contemplating. "You went through a difficult journey to get here, and you didn't have enough time to recover," I suggest. "That's true," they respond. "And Dov, also the equipment you're not used to," I continue. "Right," he agrees. Again a long silence, deeper this time. "Our thoughts were there," Jonathan says quietly, his voice low, "in the country, with families, with friends, with soldiers, with everyone we left behind." It was the most painful loss, not just in the arena, but in the heart.

But the Israeli character, as is known, is revealed precisely in moments of crisis. After the loss, they didn't make it to the top eight. The best result they could achieve from here was 9th place. This required victory in all the following battles, against teams no less strong than the Germans. "We won all the battles and took 9th place!" they declare proudly, "An important result for our team's ranking!"

No Time to Rest: Eyes Forward to the Olympics

After the competition, you would probably go home to rest, right? "It was clear we wouldn't be able to return soon," they answer. "So we continued to Hungary, where we had to participate in a training camp with the best fencers in the world."

A whole week before the training began, they stayed with an Israeli fencer living in Hungary, made contact with the local coach who gave them free access to the gym and his fencing facilities. "And that's how we maintained fitness," they summarize. "The fencing hall was completely empty because everyone went for two weeks of recovery after the competition."

"And don't you deserve recovery after everything you've been through? And with everything happening in the country?" I ask, trying to understand the limits of their endurance. "No," they answer simply, "we must maintain fitness. This time we don't have time to recover, maybe after the next competition."

And what's the next competition? "World Championship in Tbilisi!" they announce, "and before that, a training camp in Tbilisi. The day after tomorrow we're already leaving there."

The story of Jonathan and Dov is much more than a sports story. It's a story about uncompromising fighting spirit, dedication to the goal, and love of homeland that drives them forward even when everything around is burning. They may not be satisfied with 9th place, but for us, they are already champions - champions in determination, sacrifice, and the ability to rise above any obstacle. We salute you, Jonathan and Dov, and wish you great success on your path to the Olympics!